


Puzzle Pieces

by CrownsAndMilkshakes



Category: Archie Comics & Related Fandoms, Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - College/University, Domestic Fluff, Exploration of sexuality, F/M, Friends With Benefits, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Gearhead!Betty, I promise there will be makeouts, Rating May Change, Roommates, Sexuality is Complicated, So many friendships, Virgin!Jughead, autism spectrum rep, discussions of mental health, just fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-12
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:13:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27531301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrownsAndMilkshakes/pseuds/CrownsAndMilkshakes
Summary: Jughead is happy with his life. He escaped Riverdale and is now roommates with his childhood best friend Betty Cooper, he has an annoying neighbour in Reggie Mantle, and he is working towards his masters degree. It was all going perfectly well until Jughead sees something he's never seen before and it stirs up unexpected emotions and reactions.How will he navigate these new and uncharted waters? It's all unknown territory for Jughead, but Betty is there and if she's with him, how wrong could it be?Or an exploration of sexuality between Jughead and the only woman who can make him want to investigate with her.
Relationships: Betty Cooper & Jughead Jones, Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones
Comments: 108
Kudos: 154
Collections: 8th Bughead Fanfiction Awards - Nominees





	1. Jughead

**Author's Note:**

> I'm so excited to share this story with you guys. It's one I have been thinking about for a while and finally just sat down and wrote it. This is set in the Riverdale universe, but there are a lot of changes as you will see. Who needs canon right?
> 
> This is going to be a story with lots of talk about sex and sexuality and mental health, so be warned. But it will also be Betty and Jughead just living domestically with each other.
> 
> I hope you enjoy it!

Jughead is sitting on the couch of his small but cozy apartment in Berkeley. A book in his hand, a roof above his head, and his unfinished college thesis on his laptop. It was all he dreamed of as a little boy, if not for the fact that he is currently waiting for Reggie Mantle to come back from a run. Reggie Mantle who is his neighbour and friend. That is a twist teenage Jughead couldn’t have imagined.

It’s Saturday which is their only free day. Jughead doesn’t have to work and Reggie has no sports obligations. College stuff can wait until Sunday. Saturday means relaxing and video games, which is exactly what the guys plan to do. But first Reggie needed to go for a run, because he had to get back into shape. The thought that a specimen like Reggie Mantle needs to get into shape disgusts Jughead, and when he was asked to join, he replied with a polite “fuck no.”

So here he is; alone in his apartment, enjoying the quiet. Until Betty, his roommate, bursts through the door. That is another plot twist wannabe writer Jughead Jones had never been able to think of. Betty Cooper, his childhood best friend, his favourite person in this world, is his roommate. It is certainly more favorable than Reggie being a staple in his life. Apartments in California are expensive and when Betty and Jughead were both accepted into the same college, they decided to room together. It might have been the best decision of Jughead’s life. He might be a lone wolf, but he didn’t mind Betty’s company. In fact, he really enjoys it.

“Had fun shopping?” he asks as he watches Betty drop her many bags on the floor and race to the kitchen to get a drink.

“That woman is a beast,” she says from the other room.

Jughead snorts. “I could have told you that. I don’t even know why you are friends with her.”

Betty appears by the couch and sets a glass of water next to him, he nods his thanks. It’s these small acts of kindness that made living with Betty a dream. That, and the cleanliness. In his teenage years he had lived with Archie and Fred, and while they had been incredibly kind to let him stay with them, he never wanted to share a house with only men ever again. The smell becomes unbearable.

“She’s family, Jug, and Cheryl is soft underneath her hard shell.”

“She once told me, her purse is worth more than my life,” Jughead says pointedly. “Not to mention the amount of times she has referred to me as hobo, while knowing I was actually homeless at one point.” 

Betty hides her grimace in her glass. “Okay, so she has a very hard shell, but remember she has been through hell.”

“Haven’t we all,” Jughead mutters. “But I will be the bigger person for your sake. Just warn me at least three days ahead of time when she visits. I need to mentally prepare myself and maybe put some protective wards on the apartment.”

Betty bends down and quickly kisses his cheek. “I like you, you grinch,” she says with an affectionate smile, and Jughead’s heart does a little happy skip. Then she goes to where she dropped the bags and picks them up from the floor. They look fancy with french words on them and little bows. “I’m going to my room to try these on.” She waves excitedly with her bags and then she is gone.

Silence once again returns to the living room and Jughead is determined to read one more chapter before Reggie arrives. He should also check on his soup that is simmering in the kitchen. Yet another thing that no one could have guessed five years ago: Jughead really enjoys cooking. He started after Betty berated him for whining too much about food. She told him to make his own food and it was like a light bulb had gone off in his head. Of course, he could just learn how to cook and then he could eat whenever he wanted. It has been an interesting journey. He likes preparing food, not just for himself, but others too. He is quickly becoming the cook of the house. 

Betty is still in charge of the baking, though. Jughead does not have the patience for it, he often ends up eating the batter. Besides, no one can beat Betty’s cookies or pies, so why even try.

He shifts his focus to the book again when a phone lights up on the table. Not his phone, but Betty’s. He looks at the screen and sees it is an incoming call from Veronica. He shudders.

There are several things he can do in this situation: He can let the phone go to voicemail, it will be good for Veronica to wait every once in a while. He can pick it up himself, except then he would have to talk to Veronica, not something he considers a fun time. Or he can yell from the couch to Betty that her phone is ringing.

All those are perfectly acceptable options. But Jughead is the perfect roommate, so he stands up and walks to her room. They have known each other for so long and they are so comfortable with one another that he just opens the door without knocking. To his own detriment.

Before he can even utter a word; his eyes grow wide, his breathing stops, and all thoughts leave his brain. Before him stands his roommate, his childhood friend, dressed in nothing but black underwear. Quite sexy underwear. 

For a moment, he is completely frozen, unable to do anything but look at her. And she is a vision. He has always known that Betty is beautiful, it is something that he tells her often and she will always smile bashfully. But now the wind is knocked out of him and a weird warmth is forming low in his stomach.

Betty is standing in front of a mirror with her back to him, totally unaware of his presence. The expression on her face is a mixture of pride, confidence and happiness. Her lips quirked into a pleased smile as she studies herself. She looks more comfortable in only this than those sweaters her mom used to make her wear.

His gaze briefly travels over her body, appreciating it, but he doesn’t have the time to study the intricate details on the lace, because his focus quickly returns to her face. He can’t get enough of her bright eyes.

He wants to paint her or take a picture or write her down. He could write entire essays on those facial expressions alone and all the different meanings behind them. He just wants to capture her in this moment.

Then their eyes lock in the mirror and Jughead realizes in horror that he has been gawking at his friend.

His face feels hot and he quickly holds up her phone. “Just wanted to return this. Sorry!” He basically throws the phone on her bed and slams the door shut again. What a jerk he is. Who just openly checks out their roommate like that? He wants to beat himself up and he certainly needs to properly apologize, but right now he is too embarrassed. 

As he starts to move away from the door, he realizes how uncomfortable his jeans are. That certainly is a new development. He is staring down in horror when the front door of the apartment opens and a sweaty and shirtless Reggie Mantle wanders in. Jughead immediately adjusts his flannel in such a way that the front of his jeans are covered.

“What’s up, nerd,” Reggie says as a way of greeting. “Ready to get beat in video games.”

Jughead frowns. “Aren’t you going to shower first?”

Reggie makes a show of sniffing his armpits. “I don’t smell a problem.” He snickers at his own stupid joke while Jughead just raises his eyebrows. Leave it to Reggie to annoy him straight after the most awkward encounter of his life. “Okay, I will first take a shower.” He starts walking towards him and Jughead holds out his arm to stop him.

“Where are you going?”

“The bathroom. To take that shower.”

“You live next door, Mantle. Use your own goddamn shower.” He forcefully pushes Reggie towards the front door.

“Geez, Jug. What crawled up your butt?”

“Nothing. I just want neighbours who don’t act like they own my apartment. And when you get back here you better be wearing a shirt or you're not welcome.” He closes the door in his face and sighs heavily. Why is everyone opposed to wearing clothes today?

He has about ten minutes to deal with his condition. Only he doesn’t know how to deal with it. He’s actually freaking out right now. He takes a moment to take a deep breath and calm his mind and body.

Jughead had thankfully skipped his awkward teenage boner phase. He got them, of course, that was just a cruel joke of nature. But never because of arousal. And now he doesn’t even have the time to think about it or examine his situation, because he has to entertain Reggie. Which is great boner killing thought.

“Archie’s socks. Being in the same room as Cheryl Blossom. Sports.” he mutters to himself.

When Reggie comes back, Jughead tries to seem calm and collected. He isn’t, but he can pretend.

“Why do you look heated?” he asks.

“Just did some push ups. I might want to start exercising,” Jughead lies.

Reggie’s face lights up. “That’s great, bro. I will totally give you tips.” He claps him on the back with a huge smile. “But first, I will be beating you in video games.”

“Do you know why I always choose female video game characters?”

“Because you’re a passionate feminist who believes that women deserve more representation in the media.”

Reggie is quiet for a long time. “Sure. And it gives me something nice to look at.”

Jughead groans as the game over screen appears. “I really should just throw you out of my apartment for that.”

“You wouldn’t do that to your best friend.”

“Not my best friend,” Jughead grumbles, sore over his loss and the fact that this guy is indeed his friend.

Reggie throws his arm around his shoulder and grins at him with amusement. “And tell me, Mr. Popular. Who is your best friend?”

“Betty,” he answers immediately. Although, after what just transpired, he is not so sure if that is still the case. His heart gives a nervous kick at the thought and he pushes Reggie’s arm away before standing up.

Reggie leans back into the couch, looking way too comfortable even though this is not his apartment. “Sure,” he drawls sarcastically. “You guys are best friends.”

Jughead ignores the air quotes around those words and moves towards the kitchen to check on his tomato soup.

“What’s for dinner, honey?” Reggie shouts from the living room.

“You are not invited to dinner,” Jughead shoots back.

He inspects the soup and nods with satisfaction when footsteps sound in the kitchen. A snarky remark is already forming in his mind when he sees Betty leaning against the wall. Completely clothed. He scolds his brain for that unnecessary thought.

“It smells great in here,” she says casually, conversationally, and Jughead is truly shocked. If he was her, he would have stayed in his room for as long as possible, but Betty has always been more mature.

She makes her way towards him and smiles. A peace offering for his sake. Her eyes tell him it’s okay and they don’t have to talk about it. It doesn’t exactly take away his nerves, but it helps. If she is willing to forget about it, then Jughead can pretend to be fine.

“Want a taste?” he asks, making sure there is a meatball in the ladle before holding it up to her lips. Her eyes are on him while she samples, and despite his earlier intention, a blush spreads over his cheeks. It feels intimate.

Betty, apparently clueless to his inner turmoil, leisurely licks her lips and smiles. “It’s great, Jug. The best you’ve ever made.”

His own smile is immediate. “I have a good teacher.”

“You already surpassed me. From now on, you can prepare all the dinners.” Jughead opens his mouth to protest when her hand lands on his arm. “We are good, aren’t we?”

For a moment she looks vulnerable, scared. Like she is the one who messed up and now has to fear the end of their friendship. Which is ridiculous. His free hand closes around the back of her neck and he presses a kiss to her forehead.

“We’re good, Betts.”

Their moment is ruined only seconds later when Reggie enters the room. “B Coop,” he practically yells even though they are only two steps away, “Are you joining us for dinner?”

“This isn’t your apartment,” Jughead exclaims in frustration while Betty giggles.

“If you two gentlemen will have me.”

Reggie grins and throws his arm around Betty; the guy did not understand the definition of personal space. “Finally! A worthy opponent. Hey Coop, will you go out with me if I win?”

It’s a joke. Something that Reggie has done since they were kids, ask Betty out. How funny the joke is, is up for debate. Still, Jughead shoots the jock a glare.

“Oh Reggie,” Betty sighs. “You should know by now that you can never beat me.”

So they eat Jughead’s soup and play video games, and everything is normal. Except for the fact that Betty sits a little closer to Jughead on the couch. Except for every moment he flinches when they touch, his skin hypersensitive. He is aware of her every breath and move, and he tries not to stare at her.

It’s not normal.

But Jughead pretends it is. His personal freakout hidden by sarcastic comments.

Betty and Reggie scream loudly at each other while playing Mario Kart. The sound scrapes against Jughead’s ears and he wants to move away, but Betty’s leg against his is too compelling so he sits through it. The agony stops when Betty reaches the finish line first and jumps up in excitement.

“That’s what winning looks like, Mantle!”

These are the moments that remind Jughead that Betty used to be a jock. One of Betty’s few flaws, her dark past that he would rather forget about completely. But he accepts her, jock attitude and all. 

After jumping up and down a few times, Betty has worked off her energy and sits back down, even closer to Jughead if that is even possible.

“Want to play another round?” she asks. “We can make a bet. When you lose you give me your car for a week.”

Reggie’s smile is pure fondness as he ruffles her hair. “Sorry, Cooper, but I think I’m done for the night. Except for one more thing.” He leans down and grabs a bag that was apparently sitting beside the couch the entire time. “Happy birthday, bro.”

“My birthday is in two days,” Jughead says while eyeing the bag warily.

“I know. I also know that you are going to be grumpy the entire time and will only let Betty close. The two of you are celebrating it together with one of your nerd, serial killer movie nights, right?” He raises his eyebrows at them and they just smile sheepishly. That is exactly their plan. “So I will give you your present now.”

Jughead is touched. Reggie seems like a shallow jerk whose identity is all about his looks and his car and girls, and that is partly true. But somewhere along the way, they became friends. And he genuinely cares about his friends. Which is more than you can say for a lot of people.

He accepts the bag and looks inside. His face heats up immediately. On second thought, he might have to kill the guy.

“Thanks, Reg,” he mumbles.

Reggie grins. “Thought it could teach you some things.”

Betty leans over Jughead, trying to steal a peek. “What is it?”

“Dirty magazines,” Reggie answers casually.

She rolls her eyes, because the idea that someone would give Jughead porn is ridiculous. Somehow, the truth is more embarrassing. 

He closes the bag and presses his index finger against Betty’s forehead, gently pushing her back. “That is none of your business, nosy pants.”

“You’re not allowed to keep secrets from me, Forsythe,” Betty pouts.

Jughead pinches her cheek in retaliation and she squeals, grabbing his hand and firmly holding it in her own, so it can’t escape. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Reggie shaking his head at them before standing up.

“I have done my duty, so I shall now go and leave you two weirdos to your own rituals.”

He holds out his fist that Jughead reluctantly bumps and he gives Betty a high five. “Bye nerds,” he says over his shoulder before shutting the door closed behind him. 

The room suddenly feels a lot quieter and emptier now that such a big ego has left. They both stare at the door before dissolving into laughter. 

“How did he become our friend again?” Jughead asks.

“I guess we attract interesting people.” Betty yawns and sleepily lays her head on his shoulder. “Apparently, you have made me a weirdo, Juggie.”

“That is just one of the side effects of hanging out with me, Betts.”

“Worth it,” she whispers. They sit there for a little while, cuddled together in silence, just enjoying each other’s company. 

Everything is normal.

Until it’s not.

Jughead is staring at the ceiling. He looks at his alarm clock to confirm that he has been staring at the ceiling for the past hour. He has tried to sleep. Truly. But everytime he closes his eyes, the image of Betty in her room appears. It’s burned into the back of his eyelids.

Apparently, he had enough time to study the intricate details on her lingerie after all, because he can imagine every little lacy pattern. His stomach swoops and his heartbeat is going insane. His entire body feels hot.

Why the hell is this happening?

He knows on paper what this means, but he doesn’t know what it means for him. He is different, has always been different in many ways. This has been made clear to him often. He has been called a weirdo, a loner, antisocial. That’s who he was. Jughead Jones: the town’s very own basket case. He didn’t mind. He had his friends, but still there was always a divide for one simple reason.

He has never experienced sexual attraction before. A fact so strange that most of his friends just ignore it. People like Archie Andrews could never understand.

Now, he has masturbated, but it’s always something done because of necessity, not pleasure. He will feel disappointed afterwards, and sometimes even weird. Which is stupid, but he can’t help his own feelings. Most of all, he is bewildered by sex. It’s something that he understands on a theoretic level, but not on a personal one.

He had tried, when the locker room talk got too insufferable. For a few weeks, he had scoured the internet for videos and pictures, anything that would stir something in him. He had forced himself to look at girls and guys, and searched for something, anything, that caught his eye. He had read articles on sex and attraction, but nothing ever happened.

He had even looked up porn and made it five minutes into the video before he closed his laptop. Feeling strange and freaked out. He did not like it.

So he gave up. It just wasn’t for him.

Until now. Now his body starts reacting. Now he can’t stop thinking about someone. About Betty.

His entire identity, the one he had learned to accept, has changed. And he doesn’t know how to deal with that.

So he just lies there, taking deep breaths and trying to let his mind wander to other subjects like his college thesis. But his brain refuses. It is stuck on Betty. He groans in frustration and feels like throwing something at the wall. The number of different emotions that are at war in his body is exhausting.

Eventually, he gives in. He closes his eyes and let’s himself imagine Betty. Her pale skin with freckles on it. Her hair falling in soft waves. Her face with so many expressions, beautiful green eyes and full lips. He imagines running his hand through her hair and over her arms. He imagines her laughing with her face buried in his neck, her lips trailing kisses down his throat.

As he lets his mind run wild, he feels his body coming alive again. His stomach is turning, but it feels pleasant. Slowly, almost hesitantly, he lets his hand wander towards his boxers. Maybe if he got rid of that problem, this will all be over.

But then he hears a knock at his door, and he freezes. It can only be Betty. What does she want at 2AM? Does she know he is thinking about her?

Jughead is secretly convinced Betty is a witch, there is nothing the girl can’t do, so it is not the most absurd thought that Betty can read minds.

He slowly gets up, makes sure he is presentable, and opens the door to Betty, wrapped up in a blanket. She looks small and cozy. A stark difference from the Betty that he was imagining. And yet, the same girl who lights a fire in him.

Now, she is staring at him, her eyes intense and her mouth a tight line. Her bottom lip is red from what Jughead assumes is her chewing on it. A thing she always does when she wants to figure something out, and right now, she looks like she is trying to find a solution to a very serious problem.

“Jughead, can I kiss you?” 

The question is sudden, and yet Jughead is not surprised. Maybe they just share a mind connection, but the moment he heard that knock, he knew what was happening and he also knew his answer.

“Yes.”

Her green eyes vibrant as she assesses him, even in the dark. Then she stands on her tiptoes, one hand placed on his chest, and presses her lips to his. Gentle. Soft. Intriguing.

For a few seconds they just stand there, connected. Until Betty breaks that connection and takes a step back. Jughead leans forward, following her, but then he realizes what he is doing and rights himself.

She is chewing the corner of her lip thoughtfully. “Let’s talk tomorrow,” she whispers.

He nods, his mind void of words.

“Sweet dreams, Juggie.”


	2. Jughead

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy monday! Thank you to everyone who left such sweet comments on the first chapter. It was amazing to see all the love.
> 
> A little note before going in to chapter 2. You may have already seen it mentioned in the tags, but Jughead in this story has Autism Spectrum Disorder. His symptoms are mild, but it still impacts his life and reactions. The story won't be about autism, but it is something prevelant to Jugheads character. All symptoms and experiences are based on my own. I always try to handle every topic with respect and caution. If you have any thoughts, questions or comments about my approach, you can leave them below or message me on tumblr.
> 
> Lastly, a huge thank you to moons2stars and dsvridiculousfangirl! Their thoughtful support, comments and edits make this story better. You guys are the best!
> 
> Enjoy!

The first thing Jughead does when he wakes up is pop two Adderalls into his mouth. Even though he has been taking this medication for years now, he still forgets it at times. So Betty made him set alarm clocks everyday to remind him and put a sticky note on his nightstand to help him remember. The little heart after his name makes him smile.

Secondly, he takes Reggie’s gift from yesterday out of the bag. The bright yellow cover of a romance novel is staring back at him, taunting him. He shoves the book into a secret box under his bed where the rest of his romance collection lives. He knows that it shouldn’t be embarrassing, but if his secret comes out it would ruin his eternal image as a romance hater. The fact that only Reggie knows this about him is actually more embarrassing. 

He doesn’t remember exactly when he first started reading these books. Just that he strolled through the second hand bookstore as a teenager looking for something fun and lighthearted. Growing up in the town that he did, he would take any happiness that he could get. That is exactly what romance novels are: happiness, neatly packed into 300 pages.

It also gives him insight into other people and relationships that he would otherwise never have.

After he gets rid of the evidence, he washes up, gets dressed, and walks to the kitchen to brew his much needed dose of caffeine. The moment the dark substance hits his system, he groans. Where would he be if it wasn’t for coffee?

Now that he has done his essential morning routine, he can start to replay the one thing that has been on his mind the entire night. To say that he slept like shit would be an understatement. He only fell asleep around 6AM when his mind had had enough of freaking out and instead just completely shut down. But even in his dreams that damn kiss haunted him.

Betty had kissed him yesterday. The ghost of her soft lips still lingers on his own. Betty had kissed him and he didn’t hate it. In fact, he thinks he wants to kiss her again. Which is an absurd thought for Jughead. Kissing had never been appealing to him. Yet here he is, imagining cupping her face between his hands and pressing his lips against hers. He imagines her lashes fluttering against his cheeks and her hands slipping in his hair.

He is still deep in his thoughts when Betty enters the kitchen, carrying a huge box and drops it onto their kitchen table.

“Morning, Jug,” she says brightly.

He quickly schools his expression, hoping his face isn’t too red. “Morning,” he says slowly, examining her. “You look... well rested.” He grabs her favourite mug from the cupboard and pours some coffee into it, before handing it to her. She smiles gratefully, and when their fingers touch he actually feels a little spark of electricity. 

Betty looks at her hand for a moment, as if she felt it too, but then shakes her head and takes a long sip from her coffee. 

“I had a pretty good night actually,” Betty says with a tiny smile. Her eyes glance towards his lips for a fraction of a second before meeting his gaze. “How are you?”

“I’m okay.” Because he is. Sure, he is also confused and maybe freaking out a little, but he is mostly okay.

Betty nods. “Good.” Then she gestures towards the table. “I have a new project,” she announces.

He narrows his eyes at her, because he knows what is coming. Betty loves a good project, and she loves pressuring him into helping her with said project. It’s how he got roped into writing for the Blue and Gold while in high school.

“Do you know how long I’ve had this puzzle?” She points at the box. 

Jughead shakes his head.

“Me neither,” she answers. “So long that I can’t remember. I’ve always wanted to put it together. It has lived permanently on my to do list, but I never did it.”

“Is this a metaphor for something?” Betty loves a good metaphor.

She frowns and thinks about it. “Maybe. But I haven’t figured out what for yet. Mostly, I just want to finally put this puzzle together. So that’s what we are going to do.”

Jughead raises an eyebrow. “We?”

Betty nods, and he knows that expression. It means that she has made up her mind and nothing he says or does will dissuade her. “And we are going to talk,” she adds. “But it might be easier to have these conversations while doing something, like this puzzle.”

He picks up the box and inspects it. The image is of an old world map, the way maps were drawn hundreds of years ago, it's adorned with little boats and borders featuring animals and people. “It’s 5000 pieces. It’s going to take us days.”

Betty smiles coyly. “The best things cost time, Juggie.”

“Fine, but I need some food in my system first.”

Jughead just stares at the puzzle pieces that are scattered over the kitchen table at the moment. “Where do you begin?” he asks, already feeling overwhelmed.

“Oh my god, Jug! Have you never put together a jigsaw puzzle before? What did you do in your childhood?”

“I mostly got dragged around by a little girl with a ponytail in search of mysteries.” He shoots her a look and Betty giggles.

She claps her hands together with excitement. “Okay. Here is our game plan: first we put aside all the edge pieces. Corner pieces are absolutely key, when you find one tell me and we will put them in a special place for safekeeping. Without them we won’t get anywhere. Then we sort by colour and special pieces with defining features. Got it?”

Jughead just stares at her. “When do we actually put the puzzle together?”

“Oh, it is going to take us hours of organization before we actually get to that point. Patience, little one.”

He shakes his head in amusement and starts sorting through the pieces in front of him. They work in silence for a while, figuring out a system. There is something calming about organizing that Jughead’s brain is really fond of.

Betty is the one to break the silence. “So,” she says, “we should probably talk.”

“Probably,” Jughead agrees, although he feels the nerves in his body return.

“I should apologize for last night. For the kiss,” she clarifies.

“I gave you permission, didn’t I? So why should you apologize?” Jughead says easily.

Betty glances at him, forgetting the pieces for a moment. “Did you like the kiss?” she asks.

Considering the fact that he has replayed that one moment in his mind on repeat for the last few hours is all the confirmation he needs. “I did,” he says honestly.

The corner of Betty’s mouth quirks up. “I did too.” She is quiet for a moment, placing a piece on the blue pile. “Did you like seeing me in lingerie?” she asks then.

The blood immediately rushes to his cheeks and his tongue feels heavy in his mouth. Images flash through his mind, ones that aren’t proper for 9 in the morning. He nods, because words seem impossible at the moment.

“Would you like to see me in lingerie again?” A smile playing on her lips, but her cheeks are matching red.

“What are you saying, Betts?”

“I’m proposing,” she says, “an arrangement of sorts. One where we follow up on those feelings where we want to kiss each other and maybe undress the other.”

Jughead raises his eyebrows. “You mean a friends with benefits deal.”

“Something like that.” 

“Betty, I don’t think I’m the right person for that,” he says with a sigh. In all honesty, his heart is working in overdrive and a large part of him just wants to kiss her again. But another part is scared and confused and wants to hide away. “I don’t have any experience in that field.”

She bites her lip and she slides her hand over his. “I think you’re exactly the right person for me, Jug. Aren’t you curious?” 

Conflicting thoughts race through his mind. Betty is his best friend. The one person he feels truly comfortable with. What if he screws this up? What if they try this and Betty thinks he’s weird? Maybe he freezes or hurts her. He focuses on her hand, the way her thumb is running soothing circles onto his skin. Or maybe it will be fun. A new experience.

He chooses to be truthful. “I am kind of curious, which is weird because I have never been curious before.”

“Juggie, as your best friend, can I ask you something?”

He gestures for her to continue.

“Are you straight?”

He opens his mouth, only to find no words. The answer should be easy, but it isn’t. 

“I am not attracted to men, if that is what you’re asking,” he says slowly. 

His skin feels itchy and he starts tapping his feet. They are entering unknown territory. His friends used to make shitty jokes about him being gay, because he never had a girlfriend and he just shrugged it off. He isn’t gay. He knows that. But he also doesn’t feel straight. Why do humans love labels so much?

Betty watches him with kind, knowing eyes. “You don’t have to know the answer to that. Labels kind of suck anyways,” she says as if she is reading his mind.

They are quiet for a moment. He stares at their hands together. It’s something that only Betty is allowed to do, touch him so casually. It feels nice, calming. Maybe other things can also be like that.

“Can I think about it?” he asks. The idea may sound ridiculous in theory, but it doesn’t feel ridiculous. Still, he needs time to consider it.

Betty smiles. “Of course.” She gives his hand one final squeeze and turns back to their new project. “So, Reggie has been pestering me about throwing you a surprise party for your birthday.”

Jughead groans loudly.

Most people enjoy their birthdays. They take the day off and spend it with their favourite people in their favourite place. Meanwhile, Jughead is in his least favourite place: the coffee shop he works at. Today, he turns 23 years old and he is still working at a goddamn coffee shop. He has some freelance writing jobs on the side, but the work is too sporadic to provide a steady income, so here he is.

He surveys the shop. It is filled with people. A group of girls chatting to his right, their laughter loud and shrill. People studying, typing away on their laptops or writing in notebooks. A couple making out in the corner like no one is watching. Jughead frowns at them and tears his gaze away. 

People are always moving, always talking while they are drinking their overpriced coffee. The first month he worked here, he was in a constant state of overwhelming panic and had seriously considered quitting his job immediately. But he needed the money, so he stayed. Fortunately, you can get used to everything. So even though he still didn’t enjoy the coffee shop, it had become familiar and he only felt like screaming when he entered this place 45 percent of the time. That's an improvement.

One of his new coworkers bumps him against the back and takes a step to the side. There is little space behind the counter, too little for the three people that are currently there. The guy, Jughead has not yet learned his name, glances at him before resuming to make a complicated order and Jughead watches. He has worked at this place the longest and is thus responsible for everything that happens during opening hours. It mostly means that he gets yelled at the most.

“What are you doing?” his coworker asks suddenly.

“Making sure you do everything right,” Jughead says honestly. He realizes he sounds like an asshole, but he works with a bunch of 18 year olds. You can’t trust them.

“I’m doing everything correctly.”

“Yeah? Why haven’t you cleaned the milk off the foamer yet. It will clog if you don’t do that and then the machine breaks.”

“I was going to do that after.”

Jughead rubs his eyebrow in frustration. He doesn’t want to be a hardass, that actually conflicts with his morals. However, they have all followed the same training and it isn’t that hard to follow simple instructions. “You are supposed to do it immediately, so that the next person can use the machine.” 

His coworker apparently has had enough, because he turns to Jughead with an angry expression. “Jesus, are you autistic or something?” he snaps.

Jughead rolls his eyes at the comment and answers truthfully, “Yes.”

That shuts his coworker up. All of a sudden he looks uncomfortable like Jughead is a bomb that can explode if he doesn’t handle him carefully. “I’m sorry, man,” he eventually says. He raises his hand as if he wants to pat him on the shoulder but stops when Jughead glares at him.

“Just make your order, dude,” he says.

His coworker immediately turns back to the coffee machine, glad to escape this awkward situation.

“Well, you are a delight today,” a familiar voice says behind him. 

Jughead turns around and is greeted by a short girl with pink hair. “What are you doing here, Topaz?”

Toni looks amused. “That is no way to greet a customer. I’m looking for a good cup of coffee.”

“Well, keep looking. Might I suggest the shop on the corner of this street.”

She laughs. “You truly are employee of the month material. How have you been, Jug?”

“I’m fine, all things considered.” He gestures to his surroundings to get his point across. “Seriously, what are you doing here? It doesn’t seem like your kind of place.”

She leans on the counter and sighs. “It isn’t, but my date picked this place to meet up. I’m waiting for them right now.”

“Poor person.” 

“Watch it, Jones. At least I go on dates.”

Jughead mirrors her stance. “I don’t want to go on dates,” he shoots back.

Toni watches him for a moment and then smiles knowingly. “Well, that is just a lie.” 

The bell at the front door rings and she glances over her shoulder at someone before waving. “That is my date. Say hi to Betty for me.”

Jughead glares at her. “You see her almost everyday. You can say hi to her yourself. Now take your coffee and go.” He holds up his hand when Toni tries to give him some cash. “It’s on the house.”

That makes her smile. “Aww, you have a heart after all.” She takes the coffee and starts walking backwards. “Happy birthday!” she says it loud enough that another one of his coworkers overhears it.

“Is it your birthday today? Why didn’t you say anything?”

He glares in Toni’s direction, who gives him one final smile before turning to her date. “It’s not,” Jughead says quickly. “It’s a stupid joke between the two of us.”

His co-worker looks at him funny and then greets the next customer. He sighs in relief. This is the kind of workplace that encourages team spirit, which means that everyone sings happy birthday to the unlucky bastard. That was the last thing Jughead wanted.

The day could not end soon enough.

When he gets home, all he can think about is sleep. A detox after an eight hour workday surrounded by other people is seriously needed. But he has plans with Betty tonight. For a brief moment, he wonders if he can skip out on film night. Betty would understand, she always understands. But then he feels like a jerk and sucks it up.

A delicious smell ambushes him when he enters the apartment. He follows his nose straight to the kitchen where Betty is waiting for him with a smile on her face and a burger cake in her hands.

“Happy birthday, Juggie.” She hands him the cake and he stares down at it. 

“When did you have time to do this?” he asks with astonishment. He knows that Betty is spending every waking moment on school right now, and stressing out at all hours of the day. “This is amazing, Betts.”

Betty shrugs, but a proud smile is on her lips. “I know. Now, don’t just stand there. Let’s eat. It’s chocolate cake!” His favourite. A fuzzy feeling nettles into Jughead’s chest.

They settle onto the couch, each with a huge chunk of cake. 

“What movie do you want to watch?” Betty asks with her mouth full.

They actually have a movie night once a week. It includes loads of food and face masks. It’s a way for both of them to relax after a long week. They started with serial killer documentaries, but even they got bummed out after a while. So they moved on to Marvel movies. Now they are going through all the Disney originals. However, they aren’t allowed to choose one themselves. They would always bicker for so long, it just wasn’t efficient. And so the movie bowl was born. It’s just a glass bowl filled with paper slips onto which the film names are written. It sounds like a fun idea until you have to watch both the Fantasia movies in a row.

Because it’s Jughead’s birthday, he can actually choose a title. It’s what makes this day special.

“After the absolute tragedy that was the Black Cauldron,” Betty grimaces at the mention of their last film. It wasn’t a good experience. “I want to watch a good movie. So let’s go for an absolute classic: Mulan.” Their childhood favourite. Jughead has so many memories of them running around Archie’s garden singing I’ll Make a Man Out of You while play fighting.

Betty nods. “Solid choice.”

The slices of cake disappear quickly and they each take another one. Jughead puts the leftovers in the refrigerator. Reggie will probably come by tomorrow and he will want some of this deliciousness. Then he puts the popcorn in the microwave. It’s salted which is Betty’s favourite.

Betty runs off to her room and returns with two face masks. A cucumber scented one for him. The delight of sheet masks has been a revelation for Jughead. He likes the way his skin feels afterwards, soft and clean. He may also like the way Betty’s fingers feel on his face when she applies it for him. Right now her fingers seem to linger a little longer. Maybe he is imagining it?

The flutter of her lashes and the way she bites her lip beg to differ.

“Were you extra grumpy today?” she asks.

Jughead huffs. “I was a normal amount of grumpy.” They both know that his birthday is not his favourite. Actually, everyone knows that. Which is why he only got a few congratulation text messages, and his little sister left him a spoken message of her singing happy birthday. There is some childhood trauma that he still carries with him, and the fact that he just doesn’t like being surrounded by a lot of people. Parties aren’t his thing, and he doesn’t want to be celebrated. Something low key like a movie night with Betty is perfect in his book. “But I’m not grumpy anymore. I like this.”

The smile he gets in return makes his heart flutter.

They quickly get into the movie, it truly stands the test of time. They sing along to the songs so hard that Jughead gets a text from Reggie telling them to calm down. He apparently has a date next door and she is worried about the dying cats. Reggie’s words.

Betty quickly gets up to throw away their masks and get a refill for the popcorn. When she sits back down, she cuddles into his side, a privilege only she gets. Her head rests on his shoulder and her arm is thrown over his waist. It’s cozy and Jughead enjoys Betty’s warmth and presence.

“Have you been using my shampoo again?” she mumbles.

Jughead shrugs. “It smells good. Besides it gives my hair even more volume.”

Betty looks at him and reaches over to move the curl on his forehead. “That is true. I’ll buy two bottles next time,” she says with a smile.

In that moment, Jughead realizes how close her face is to his, he can feel her breath on his cheek. Betty’s hand is still playing with his curl but her eyes have drifted over to his lips. A hunger hits him hard and fast. God, he wants to kiss her.

“Betty,” he says, his voice a little rough.

“Hmmm.”

He leans a tiny fraction closer and he hears her sharp intake of breath.

“Let’s give it a try. I want to try it with you.”

Betty’s eyes fly to his, searching for confirmation. “Okay.” she says. Then she is focusing on his lips again. “Can I kiss you?” An echo of the question from two nights ago. 

Anticipation increases his pulse and he licks his lips. “Please.”

They should make sure after all. Perhaps their first kiss had been a fluke; feelings caused by midnight exhaustion. But then Betty’s lips touch his and something inside him wakes up. He really enjoys kissing Betty Cooper.

She kisses him a few times, quick and sweet before settling her mouth over his. He follows her lead. When she starts moving, he matches her. It’s a little awkward at first, but they find a rhythm. Her hand slides into his hair completely and his finds purchase on her cheek. He doesn’t know how long they sit there, but he hopes it never ends.

Eventually, Betty rests her forehead against his, a happy sigh leaving her mouth.

“I really don’t know how to do any of this, Betts,” he confesses.

Her hand finds his chin and she lifts his head, forcing his eyes to meet hers. 

“We’ll figure it out together.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: More Reggie and more kisses (not with Reggie).
> 
> Please let me know what you think below!


	3. Jughead

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy monday and happy holidays! This will be the last chapter I post this year, because I will be focusing on some christmas stories for the next few days. I hope everyone will have a good christmas/new years. Stay safe!
> 
> As always, many thanks to moons2stars and dsvridiculousfangirl!
> 
> And enjoy this chapter!

“I think I have a piece of Spain here. Could also be the US though.”

“Put it on the miscellaneous country pile.”

“I found the fourth corner piece.”

“Jackpot! Give it to me.”

Betty and Jughead have been hard at work on their puzzle the last couple days, oftentimes forgetting the whole point why they started doing it in the first place. The idea of working on a puzzle together while having awkward conversations is brilliant, which is not surprising considering it came from Betty. It keeps their hands busy and makes it so that you don’t have to look the other person in the eyes, something that Jughead has a hard time with. So in theory it is a great coping mechanism. There is only one problem: Betty and Jughead are both perfectionists with obsessive behaviours. So this past week has mostly been leaning towards getting the puzzle together, not talking about what is happening between them.

Thankfully, Betty seems to remember this morning. “We can’t let it change our friendship,” she says.

Yesterday, on Jughead’s birthday, he agreed to a friends with benefits deal. Something truly absurd when it comes to him. They also made out for a couple minutes and he liked it. A lot.

“How do we keep it from changing our dynamic?”

Betty smiles. “We set up a set of rules.”

“That’s the sexiest thing you ever said,” he says it with a teasing tone, but honestly he is happy. Rules are good. Rules make his chaotic brain calm down and set a clear guideline to follow.

“If we have a set day and place where we keep our sexual exploration then it won’t bleed into our everyday interactions. Don’t you think?”

A small part of Jughead’s brain doubts it, but he ignores that. “So what do you propose?”

“How about once a week. On Saturday night?”

He shakes his head. “Can’t. Reggie is always here on Saturdays.” He looks up with a hopeful smile. “But we could always ban him from the house.”

Betty ignores that last comment. “You’re right. Friday night then. And we should keep it to one of our bedrooms.”

“Mine,” he says quickly. It gives him a home turf advantage, and the covers on his bed don’t irritate his skin. Assuming they will get to the bed part.

Betty nods. “We should also sleep in our own beds. No sleepovers. And we have to keep talking, keep checking in with each other.” She frowns at two pieces that won’t fit together and puts them to the side before turning her eyes to him. “Anything else?”

“As long as we are doing this, can it just be you and me? I wouldn’t feel comfortable with you hooking up with someone else.” He almost feels stupid for asking, it’s not like they are dating. But it is non negotiable for him.

Betty widens her eyes. “Of course. It’s just you and me.” She smiles at him and the affection radiates from her. “It’s always been you and me, hasn’t it?”

He understands what she means. They have gone through hell and back, but they have always been there for each other and have gone through it together. And now they will add a new experience to that list. One that is very scary to Jughead.

He shuffles in his seat a little, suddenly uncomfortable. Betty raises an eyebrow. “Is something wrong?”

“I just...” his voice cracks a little and he takes a sip of his coffee before continuing. “How far do you see us going?” God, he hates how awkward he sounds. He just never had to talk about this stuff before. His mind goes to his romance novels and how they talk about sex there, but it comes up empty.

But Betty knows what he means. “Whatever we both feel comfortable with,” she says gently. “We’ll take it slow and we will stop when one of us doesn’t want to continue.” Then she purses her lips and gets a serious look on her face. “Jug, yesterday you said you had little experience. Can you elaborate?”

He swallows. “I have no experience, Betty. None whatsoever.”

Her eyes widen in surprise before she schools her expression. He doesn’t blame her. At 23 years old, he is certainly an exception. 

“I assume that means no sex, but also no kissing?” she asks.

He starts shaking his head when a memory comes to the forefront. “Once,” he says. “When I was 14.”

Now Betty looks intrigued. “Who was it?”

“Midge.”

He and Midge had been friends in their early teens. Sometimes even hanging out just the two of them. He would go over to Midges house and they would do whatever teens did. It was nice.

But one afternoon, he and Midge were sitting in her room and they were both reading. She had a girly magazine and Jughead had brought a comic. 

It was quiet when Midge asked. “Do you like kissing?”

Jughead tried to act cool. “I don’t know.”

She put her magazine down and walked towards him. “You’ve never been kissed?” she asked. “I can show you.”

Before Jughead could refuse, her mouth was on his and Jughead was frozen. He just remembers feeling so shocked and a little scared. He had no idea how long he stood there with his hands suspended in the air. Then she started moving her mouth, trying to push her tongue into his. Something in Jughead snapped and he pushed her away from him, hard. Midge fell back onto the ground and immediately started crying.

Jughead mumbled his apology and ran out of the house. He ran the entire way back to the trailer, wiping tears from his face and scrubbing his lips. He didn’t understand his reaction. He was disgusted with himself for hurting her and scared that something was wrong with him. He flinched whenever someone touched him for a week afterwards and was cautious around girls for a while.

He and Midge made up, she started dating Moose quickly after, but they never got their friendship back.

All he says to Betty is: “It wasn’t a great experience.”

She looks troubled, but doesn’t keep asking. 

“What about you?” They have been talking about him all this time for obvious reasons, but Jughead realizes that he doesn’t even know why Betty is doing this. 

“My experience?”

He nods with a heavy heart. Betty’s love life is a topic he had avoided talking about for most of his life.

“Well, you know about Trev.” Betty’s first boyfriend in high school. He actually asked her out in front of Jughead. He remembers feeling sick the rest of the day without knowing why.

“And Toni,” Betty continues. Toni Topaz: Betty’s ex girlfriend and annoying coffee shop customer. They had dated for a year and the pink haired girl had been over at their apartment quite often. They are obviously still friends and even work together.

“And Veronica,” she adds softly.

“Wait,” Jughead says. “Veronica Lodge. The one we have known since childhood.”

Betty rolls her eyes. “We experimented a little in high school.”

That actually explained some things. They always took extra long after cheer practice to get to Pop’s and they had a lot of study sessions together. Whenever Jughead asked if he could join, he would get a death glare from Veronica. Even now, Veronica still looks at Betty with extra affection. Suddenly he feels an uncomfortable weight on his chest. Is he seriously getting jealous of Veronica Lodge? Because she got to have make out sessions with Betty Cooper in high school?

“So are you done exploring now?” he asks.

Betty lets out a humorless laugh and shakes her head. Her entire demeanor darkens immediately. “You really want to know?” 

“Well, we are here now. We’ve already shared a lot of personal information, I don’t know why we should stop.” Betty looks at him with big, scared eyes. For a second, he sees her seven year old self, shy and self conscious. Fidgeting in her place. She is uncomfortable. “But only if you want to share, Betts.”

“It’s just…” She bites her lip and averts her eyes. “I get locked up.”

“Locked up?”

Betty nods. “Sometimes when I engage in sexual activity, I freeze. I hear my mother’s voice scolding me.” Jughead suppresses a shiver at the mention of Alice Cooper. He can imagine that she is not the person you want to think about while having sex. Betty sighs deeply. “She was so uptight, Jug. She shut down any conversation about sex. Ranted about purity and virginity.” She almost spits out the words. “When she found out I had bought some semi sexy lingerie, she freaked out. She tore up the underwear in front of me. I was seventeen! She only found out because she was going through my drawers.” Her gaze goes to her hands which are curled up. Her knuckles white from tension. She frowns and takes a deep breath. “It messed with me. This idea that sex was dirty and my virginity was part of my worth.”

“That’s bullshit,” he blurts out. 

“I know that now. But it doesn’t erase all those teenage years where I battled with myself. And apparently it still lives somewhere within me.” She looks at him and he sees something close to shame there. “My last relationship, if I can even call it that, had problems. Some of them were caused because I would freeze up whenever something intimate started happening.”

He remembers Betty going out with a girl named Donna a few months back. It had only been a few dates, but whenever Betty got back from the other apartment she had either looked sad or angry. Jughead never liked that girl.

“So I am definitely not done exploring yet.”

“Is that why you are doing this with me?”

Betty’s eyebrows knit together. “What do you mean?”

“I just wonder why you would do this with me when you can find a random hook up on the street.” He sounds blunt, but in reality he is insecure. Betty is beautiful and has actually had relationships before. He didn’t really understand why she wanted to be with him.

“I wanna do this with you, because you are my best friend and I trust you.“ She laughs softly. “That might sound a little weird, but it feels right to me. This is vulnerable and I want to try it with someone I deeply know and trust.” She covers his hand with hers and laces their fingers together. “Besides, you are not bad to look at, Jones, and a good kisser.”

He raises an eyebrow. “I doubt that.”

“You have potential and have always been a fast learner.” She squeezes his hand. “And don’t think I know everything. I actually haven’t been with that many guys before, so it will be a learning experience for both of us.”

That does actually put him at ease a little. “We’ll figure it out together,” he echoes her own words back at her and smiles. 

At that time Reggie Mantle bursts through the door and the lovely moment is ruined.

“Jughead Jones, are you ready to crush it at the gym?”

He blinks at Reggie a few times before realizing he actually wants an answer. “I’m sorry. I think you have the wrong person.”

“Come on, Jug. You said you wanted to start exercising. I will be your personal trainer.” A proud smile covers his face and Jughead sees that he is actually excited about this. 

He knew befriending a jock would bite him in the ass one day.

“I really don’t think…”

“Oh, and afterwards we are going shopping,” Reggie continues. “I need new shoes.”

“Are you serious?”

“I’m always serious about shoes.”

He turns back to Betty and mouths, “save me.”

The mischievous smile on Betty’s lips tells him that she is going to do the exact opposite. “Take him, Reg. I need to study today and would enjoy an empty apartment.”

Jughead glares at her. He wonders briefly if whining like a child will get him out of this, but he is too sophisticated for that. Instead, he tries running to his room, but Reggie puts a hand on his shoulder. 

“It will be good for you. Working out has serious health benefits and lengthens your life span. You do want to live a long and healthy life, don’t you?”

Jughead groans dramatically. “Fine,” he says while pushing Reggie’s hand away. “But can we at least get burgers afterwards?”

“You want to put all those disgusting carbs in your body immediately after exercising.”

“Yes,” Jughead says slowly. “Isn’t that the whole point of working out? So that you can eat more food.”

Reggie sighs with disappointment. “I have so much to teach you.”

An hour later, Jughead is running on a treadmill, sweating profusely and cursing Reggie under his breath. The jock is beside him, running with a smile. 

“This feels good doesn’t it?”

Jughead replies by giving him the finger.

“We used to do this on the football team,” Reggie continues. “Once a week, we would get in the gym and do cardio,” he says it with fondness.

‘Did you actually like high school?”

“Is there anyone who likes high school?”

“Well, you are lovingly talking about it right now. Besides you always seemed to have fun with the popular kids, shoving people into lockers.”

He expects a witty comeback, but it stays quiet. He quickly glances to his left and sees a pained expression on Reggie’s face. It’s an odd look on the jock and Jughead instantly feels like a jerk; bringing back past actions that don’t matter anymore.

They run in silence for another ten minutes. Afterwards, Reggie instructs him through some muscle building exercises which Jughead hates with a passion. He seriously thinks he’s dying while doing bench presses and only gets renewed energy when Reggie promises to pay for the food later if he can do three sets.

After their session is over and they’ve showered and are dressed, Jughead comes to the conclusion that nothing about the gym is enjoyable. Not the stench of sweat everywhere, not the naked men in the dressing room, and certainly not the exercise. Why the hell gyms have continued to survive is beyond him. Sports are bad enough. Sports where everyone can see you is even worse.

He scarfs down his three burgers, big fries and onion rings as if his life depends on it. Reggie stares at him with a mixture of disgust and envy. “Even though I have known you for years, I still can’t quite believe what you manage to keep down,” he says.

Jughead just shrugs, too busy shoving food down his throat.

The last thing he wants to do now that every muscle in his body feels like spaghetti is shopping. A mall full of people and noise is not his idea of a fun time, but he made a promise and so he finds himself navigating a sea of people.

They pass a lingerie shop and Jughead stops to look at the models on the posters. They are all attractive women wearing the barest minimum of material. Their poses highlight their best features, aimed at both men and women. Yet Jughead feels nothing. Then he imagines Betty in the purple material, lying in front of him, and his face flushes. Something is wrong with him.

“What are you looking at?” Reggie asks.

“Nothing important,’ Jughead answers while walking away quickly enough so he can’t question him further.

Reggie drags him from shop to shop in search for the perfect casual date shoes that still impress. Whatever that means. They are in the fourth store and Reggie has been making heart eyes at one pair in particular.

“What do you think, Jug?”

“Does it matter?”

“Of course. Why else would I bring you? Your opinion matters to me,” he says it completely seriously and Jughead is almost touched, but then he remembers it’s all about shoes. He got dragged into a busy, noisy mall for shoes. His hand disappears in his jacket pocket and pulls out his noise dampening earbuds. They make the entire experience a bit more bearable.

“Okay, let me rephrase the question. Why do these shoes matter so much?”

Reggie fiddles with the laces and he almost sounds shy when he says, “I’m going on a date with this girl.”

“Okay?” Reggie goes on dates with girls all the time. He could make it a sport.

“It’s going to be my fifth date.” He says this with emphasis and widens his eyes with meaning. When Jughead just shrugs, he groans in frustration. “I’m serious about her. I want to make a good impression. The shoes have to seem respectable.”

“She has already gone on four dates with you, which means you either made an amazing impression or she lost a bet.”

“I’m a great date,” he says with pride. “I really like her, so I’m going to ask her to go steady with me. Everything needs to be perfect.”

Jughead studies the small smile on his face. He looks softer than he used to, maybe even happier. He grabs a black pair of sneakers from the rack and gives them to Reggie. “Wear these. If you are going to ask her to be in a relationship with you, ask her as yourself. Not what you think she wants.”

He leaves Reggie with his shoe dilemma when his dad calls him. “Hey, dad,” he answers. “Is something wrong?”

He hears FP laugh softly. “Can’t a father call his son without a reason?”

“Of course, it’s just…” Something always tends to be wrong. He doesn’t say this because it would hurt his father. “How are you, dad?”

“Good. I miss my son though. Your mother keeps asking me when you’ll come home.”

His mother could also just call him. Casual phone calls are just not normal in the Jones family.

“I want to, dad, but school has been very busy. My thesis has been kicking my ass and I need to spend all my time on it.” It’s an excuse, but at least it's a convincing one.

His dad is quiet for a moment. “I get that, boy, but you also promised to come home next week, remember? The plane tickets have already been bought.” Jughead could punch himself. He totally forgot that he made that promise two months ago. Him and his chaotic brain. Maybe he should really invest in a planner as Betty has been telling him. “So we will see you two then.” He can hear his dad’s smug smile in his voice.

Jughead didn’t hate going home. In fact, Riverdale was a better place for him now then it had been his entire teenage life, but he did promise to bring Betty along and she had a very different relationship to the town with pep.

His sigh is a defeated one. “I’ll see you next week, dad.”

When Jughead comes home, the apartment feels empty. “Betty?” he calls out, while walking to her room. He knocks on the door, remembering what happened the last time he barged in. When no reply comes, he opens it anyway. There she is, sitting behind a desk filled with books and papers. Giant headphones sitting on her head and her hand furiously taking notes. Exam season was upon them which means that Betty is freaking out.

When they first got to Berkeley, Jughead thrived. Sure, he had some problems with the social aspect of school, but he did well in his academics. He passed his classes easily and had fun. His passion for creative writing helped. But Betty didn’t fare so well. In fact, she broke down. Literally. She had a major mental health crisis in her second semester, which prevented her from continuing her studies. Her therapist recommended taking a gap year, some time to relax and focus on herself. Which was something that she never did.

After many debates, a few tears and one big fight with her mom that effectively ruined their relationship, she did just that. That year had been good to her. She came out of it refreshed and confident. The pain was still there of course, but she had allowed herself to grieve and heal. And she returned with a renewed fire.

That fire is on display right now. When she got back to college, she threw herself into her studies. Determined to make it count, and maybe a little embarrassed to be two years behind him.

He walks up behind her and gently slides the headphones from her ears, setting them on her desk. Betty barely acknowledges his existence, completely focused on writing her notes. “I’m almost done,” she mumbles. “Then I can talk.”

His hands settle on her shoulders and he can feel every taut muscle, the pressure on her taking physical form.

“You should take a break.”

“Can’t,” is her short reply.

He loves her passion, enjoys watching her when she gets caught up in a theory or mystery. When other people think she is extreme, he just thinks she is passionate and driven. But this isn’t that. This is years of pressure still weighing down on her. Feeling like a failure because she hasn’t finished her bachelor’s degree yet. This is her mother’s voice plaguing her. The gap year had been good and necessary, but it hadn’t healed everything. She still falls back into her old ways, and he was there to help her through it.

His fingers start to apply pressure on her neck, slowly working the tension from her body. Betty’s hand falters and she lets her head fall forward.

“God, that feels good,” she sighs.

“When was the last time you ate?”

A beat of silence follows. “I don’t remember.” she admits.

His fingers trail down her neck onto her bare arms where he squeezes her. “Come. Let me feed you.’

She reluctantly follows him to the kitchen where she leans against the counter while he searches for ingredients. “How about a simple mac and cheese?” he asks.

“Sounds good,” Betty says in a distracted voice and he knows she is still working out an equation in her head.

He walks towards her and without a comment lifts her onto the counter. “Juggie!” she squeals while her arms fly around his neck.

“You sit here. I need something pretty to look at while cooking,” he gives her a dorky smile and she laughs while slapping his arm.

“When did you become so smooth?”

“I spend a lot of time with Reggie Mantle.” 

He puts some distance between them and studies her for a moment. A healthy blush is covering her cheeks. Did he do that? She is wearing a shirt with a sherlock design on it and pajama pants. Her eyes look even bigger because of the glasses she is wearing. She looks casual and comfortable, if it weren’t for the way she was picking at her nails. He takes her hand and gently opens it up, forcing her to relax.

“You’re stressed,” he says.

“What gave it away?” She sighs heavily. “I hate that I still do this. Completely lose myself in schoolwork and let it take over my life.”

Jughead is quiet while he searches for a pan. He is not good at this. He doesn’t have the perfect words ready, doesn’t know what to say to help her. There are the cliché things that he can tell her: that she will be fine or that she doesn’t need to stress. But he doubts they will help.

“What would you tell me?” he asks while he pours water into the pan.

“What?”

“What would you say to me if I were in your position? Would you have any advice?”

She thinks about it for a while, kicking her legs against the cabinet. “I would say that the amount of stress you’re putting into it won’t actually give you a better grade. That it’s not helping you in any way. That you are smart and capable.” He raises his eyebrows at her and she laughs weakly. “Easier said than done.”

He quickly whips up their dinner and they relocate to the couch where they always eat. 

“My dad called today,” Jughead says in between bites. “He asked if we would come home next week.”

Betty looks at him with slight panic in her eyes. “Both of us?”

He nods. “Dad already bought the tickets. But you don’t have to come.” His parents would be disappointed, but they would understand. Everyone understands that Betty Cooper doesn’t want to set foot in Riverdale ever again. 

She thinks while biting her nail. Another nervous habit. It’s not great, but better than digging her nails into her skin. Although, she still sometimes bites them so short they start bleeding. Old habits die hard.

“I’ll go.” She gives him an unconvincing smile. “I would love to see your parents and JB. Maybe we can visit Archie too.” No mention of her mom though.

Jughead observes her for a moment. Trying to find the cracks. Giving her a chance to take it back. He is hesitant about bringing her to Riverdale, but she can make her own choices. 

“I will tell my parents. Now they have a reason to be happy about my return.”

Betty laughs and the feeling in his chest loosens.

They eat the rest of their meal and do the dishes together which is their routine. Betty always insists on doing it herself and Jughead always ignores her and helps anyway. Now she playfully throws some soap his way and he pinches her cheek in retaliation.

“Wait,” he says when they are nearly done. “It’s Friday night.” How did he not realise it this morning while they were talking about their new arrangement.

“It is,” Betty says casually.

“Friday is our night, right?” he stumbles over his words, not sure what to call it.

“Right,” Betty agrees. She looks up at him while drying her hands, and he can see that her expression has changed to something he can’t quite name. “I think I’m done with studying for tonight.” She places the cleaning towel on the counter and takes one of his hands.

His body goes from relaxed to buzzing with excitement in a matter of seconds. 

She leads him to his bedroom, softly closing the door. They have been in his room together countless times, but all of a sudden it feels small and intimate. He doesn’t know if he should move or stay still like a statue.

“Are you nervous?” she asks.

Jughead snorts. “My heart is trying to jump out of my chest and sweat is accumulating on my neck, so it’s either that or I’m still recovering from my exercise session with Reggie.” He is rambling, not something you do when you want to set a sexy mood.

But Betty just smiles. “I’m nervous too.”

“You are?” That surprises him. She has been straightforward this entire time. Taking the initiative. Has he been so caught up in his own personal turmoil that he hasn’t noticed hers?  
She nods and makes her way to him. He looks at her, really looks at her and notices the blush on her cheeks, the way she is biting her lip, leaving it red. Her hair falls in waves over her shoulders. It’s longer these days, often worn in a messy bun instead of a ponytail.

He reaches out and twists one of the curls around his finger. Then he takes the glasses off her face, setting them on his desk. She blinks up at him and smiles.

God, she is beautiful.

Her hands balance on his chest, one of them covering his heart, as she reaches up on her tiptoes. 

A kiss to his jaw and his heart jumps. A kiss on his cheek and he sucks in a breath. His nose. The corner of his mouth. She presses butterfly kisses everywhere, leaving him sensitive and craving more.

“Betty,” he whispers, his voice a little breathless.

“Hmm.”

“Can you kiss me?”

He feels her smiling against his skin and then moves until her mouth is an inch away from his. “Maybe you should kiss me.”

Betty Cooper is a genius. He kisses her the same way she did a few days ago. Soft, gentle brushes. Betty follows his lead, letting him set the pace. That’s all they do for a while: pecks and butterfly kisses. Eventually, he settles his mouth over hers. She hums in approval, her hands playing with his hair. His own settle on her waist, his finger slipping under her shirt. When he connects with the warm skin there, a thrill goes through him and a craving for more. Slowly he pushes his hand up, a little scared to fully commit.

“Is this okay?” he asks.

Betty smiles. “More than okay.” She steps back and quickly pulls the shirt over her head, leaving her in a dark green bra with black lace covering the cups. Heat immediately starts pooling low in Jughead’s stomach. He drinks her in. He didn’t think he would ever have an opinion about bras, or breasts for that matter, but the way this one enhances her chest is incredible. An amused smile is playing on her lips and she looks confident. “Do you like it?”

In his head he is writing poetry about her beauty, but when he opens his mouth he says, “why are you wearing that when you’ve been studying the entire day?”

She gives him a look that he can’t translate. “I like feeling sexy when I study.”

“You’re a weird person, Betty Cooper.”

“You’re one to talk. Besides, I don’t hear you complaining.”

“I’m not.”

How could he when the most beautiful woman in the world was looking at him with want in her eyes. Her hand finds its way under his own shirt and she scratches his stomach lightly. “Will you take this off?”

He nods and together they pull the shirt over his head. Cold air hits his bare skin and he shivers, but then Betty’s hands start trailing over his chest and stomach, leaving him overheated within seconds. She looks fascinated at the way his muscles contract under her touch. Then she places a kiss over his heart.

“How do you feel?”

“Overwhelmed,” he answers honestly. “But in a good way.” Jughead is quickly overwhelmed. His senses are always working at 120% and most days he wishes for it to stop, for some sort of filter to make his life a little more bearable. But now, as Betty’s hands tangle in his hair and her lips drag over his throat, he welcomes every sensation. He feels drunk on her. 

She pushes him back on the bed and climbs onto his lap, hugging him close. He wraps his arms around her small frame and places a kiss on her shoulder. He revels in her shiver. The little reactions she has towards him feed his confidence and curiosity. What other sounds can she make? 

She pulls back and gives him a sultry look. Her lips red and swollen and her eyes dark. “I like the way you look at me.”

“How do I look at you?”

“Intense. Loving. Affectionate.” Then a shy expression crosses her face. “Like you think I’m beautiful.”

He blinks at her a few times, her words clearing the fog in his mind. “Betty. You are fucking gorgeous.”

The next thing he knows, her lips are on his again. More passionate and demanding this time. He slowly catches onto her rhythm and they start moving in sync. His hands stay on her waist until she grabs one and puts it on her breast. 

“You can touch me, Juggie,” she mumbles against his lips. “Everywhere.”

He squeezes instinctively and Betty gasps. She moves her lips to his neck, sucking on his pulse and he moans.

“Tell me,” she says. “If you like something, you have to tell me.”

“I like all of this so far.”

She laughs and continues to suck and lick and kiss. Every single one of his senses are being attacked, all by her. He tries to focus on her breast. He can feel her nipple through the material against his hand...

Then she starts moving her hips, grinding against his arousal and something in his brain shuts down. He grabs her hips. “Stop,” he says.

She does. Immediately. “What is it?” She leans as far away from him as she can while sitting in his lap, trying to give him space. “Did I do something wrong?”

He shakes his head. He can’t even begin to explain what happened. He just froze. “It was too much. Can we just kiss for now?”

Betty looks concerned. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah. Kissing was nice. I like it.”

“Okay. We will focus on kissing.” Betty leans back in and slowly starts kissing him. Her mouth moving over his in tender brushes, her fingers scratching his scalp and he slowly starts to relax, melting against her. “Is this okay?” she asks while leaning her forehead against his.

“This is great.”

“Good. Can I try something else?”

He nods, because he trusts her. She dives back in, moving her mouth over his. Then he feels her tongue against his lower lip. Just one quick lick and it’s gone, almost as if he imagined it. A few seconds later, she does it again, longer this time, asking for entrance which he grants. Betty licks her way in and when their tongues touch, he likes it.

Kissing has always seemed weird to him. Why did people want to stick their tongues in other people's mouths? It didn’t help that his only experience was a bad one. And now he is changing his opinion because of Betty Cooper. There truly isn’t anything she can’t do he marvels.

She breaks the kiss and smiles up at him, a blush covering her cheeks and her pupils dilated. “Now you try,” she says. Jughead has always been known to do anything Betty tells him to. He copies her every move and the throaty noise that escapes Betty’s throat tells him that he is doing a good job. They clang their teeth together once which makes them laugh and he accidentally bites her lip, but her reaction tells him that it isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

His hands trail over her body. He learns the softness of her curves. He feasts on the little sighs she gives when he kisses her just right, the moans that escape when his thumb brushes over her nipple.

Before he knows it, Betty is giving him one last, lingering kiss on his swollen lips and then he is alone in his room. Ready to relive every little touch in his dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter we will see what is going on in Betty's mind and we will meet a whole bunch of new characters.
> 
> Please leave a comment below. They give me serotonin.


	4. Betty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. This update took so much longer than I anticipated and I'm sorry for that. A lot has been going on in the last couple months and this story took a back seat. But now we are back!
> 
> Thank you to moons2stars for the feedback and to my wonderful beta reader dsvridiculousfangirl who has to deal with my awful grammar. I can't thank you enough.
> 
> Enjoy!

A hand bangs on the hood of the car, waking Betty from her daydream. She blinks and looks around her, remembering she is at work right now, and someone is glaring at her.

“Sweet Pea,” she scolds, returning his glare. “I’ve just fixed her up, so be careful. The owner won’t be happy with new dents in his car.”

“I’ve been calling your name for a minute, but you were too far gone in your fantasy world to notice.” He leans against the side of the car and smirks. “I know you love cars, Cooper, but you were looking at this one like you wanted to fuck it and that goes too far, even for me.”

Betty frowns. She’d been thinking about Jughead. The boy has been on her mind most of this past week, a welcome break from the thoughts that normally plagued her. Instead of dread, her stomach has been filled with butterflies at the reminder of their little experimentation. 

Unfortunately, with their trip tomorrow, her thoughts are turning dark again.

She clears her throat and shakes her head, not letting herself go down that road. “Please, I’m not you,” she says. “I have standards. It should at least be a 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle.”

He grimaces. “Your standards aren’t high enough.”

“It’s a good looking car.”

“On the outside,” he counters. “But there is not much going on on the inside. Now a Jeep, that is a car worthy of fucking.”

Betty can’t help but laugh at the ridiculousness of their conversation.

“What are you two talking about?” Suddenly Toni is right next to Betty. That girl is a ninja when she wants to be.

“What kind of cars we would have sex with,” Sweet Pea answers.

“Of course, that is a normal conversation to have. Way better use of your time then actually working,” Toni sighs, always the tired manager of the garage.

Betty started working at the garage a few months after she arrived in Berkeley. There was rent to pay after all, and her passion for cars led her here. Toni was the one to hire her. She is only a year older than Betty and already a manager. She basically runs the place, always stressed from dealing with tough clients and suppliers. Betty doesn’t pretend to understand Toni’s job, she is happy just tinkering with cars.

Despite the constant stress, Toni is fun and outgoing. She and Betty instantly became friends. And after a night of drinking, became girlfriends. Toni is gorgeous and kind and loving. Betty counts herself lucky to have her in her life, even if they weren’t meant for a romantic relationship.

Sweet Pea joined them at the garage six months later. A guy completely covered in tattoos and with a seemingly permanent frown on his face seemed intimidating at first, but after a week of working together, the three of them were thick as thieves. Most people who come here are surprised to see such different characters in one place, but it just works and Betty doesn’t question it. These people were her best friends and she couldn’t imagine the past few years without them.

“We have to reschedule our D&D run,” she says.

Sweet Pea’s eyes grow wide with disappointment. “Why? Betty, my character has been inside of a gelatinous cube for weeks now. We have to save him.”

“Jug and I are going to Riverdale this weekend,” just saying it makes her stomach sink.

Toni shoots her a worried look. “Shit,” is all she says. She knows that Riverdale is code for trauma and crying. “Is that why you look so bad?”

“Thanks, Toni. Just what every girl likes to hear.”

“You know what I mean, B, you look like you haven’t slept well.”

“I’m fine. Jughead asked me if I wanted to go and I agreed. I can stay in Riverdale for three days without completely breaking down.” She is almost sure of that.

The phone in the office starts ringing again and Toni groans. “I have to get that.” She gives Betty one last look before disappearing into her office again.

She turns around to see Sweet Pea looking at her, a look of contemplation on his face. “Okay. Fess up,” he says. “Why have you been looking so down?”

“Didn’t you just hear? I’m going back to my hometown.”

Sweet Pea waves his hand. “Yeah, yeah. Riverdale, the murder capital of the country. Childhood trauma and all that. That is not why you are off today. You are hiding something.”

“Why would I be hiding anything from you guys?”

“Because our dear manager over there is a mother bear. Toni is always watching you, afraid you are going to fall apart again. So you have started to keep secrets from her.”

No one should ever question Sweet Pea’s people reading skills. 

He and Toni couldn’t be more different as friends. Toni is always looking at her, caring for her. That care is why they stayed together for so long. When things started to get bad again, Betty clung to her and every ounce of love that she gave. However, it was ultimately also the reason they broke up. Betty needed to take time for herself without someone looking after her every second. Sweet Pea on the other hand pushes her, tries to get her out of her mental cage. He doesn’t act like she is fragile or is afraid she can explode at any moment. 

Maybe that is why she tells him. She has been dying to confide in someone about her newfound activities with Jughead.

“Jughead and I have been kissing,” she blurts out.

Sweet Pea looks at her for a long moment without any reaction. Eventually he just shrugs. “And?”

She widens her eyes at him. “It’s a pretty big deal to me that I’m suddenly kissing my best friend of 20 years. This is a completely new development and something that my brain hasn’t quite gotten used to yet. That’s probably the reason why I’m acting weird. Combined with the whole Riverdale thing, obviously.” 

Betty had been quite confident in her choice to proposition Jughead. But then suddenly last night, she started worrying and now she was questioning every choice she’s made in the last two weeks. 

“Okay, well what changed?” Sweet Pea asks. “This is something new that hasn’t ever occurred before, so why did it happen now?”

Betty thinks for a moment. When Jughead walked into her room while she was trying out her new lingerie something in her reacted to him. She didn’t want to hide her body like usual, she wasn’t ashamed or embarrassed. 

“Just the way he was looking at me. It was intense and…” Her mind fumbles over the words to describe the flutters in her stomach when Jughead turned his dark gaze on her. “He just kept looking at me like he wanted to eat me.”

“That sounds great. Knowing Jughead, eating you would be a compliment.”

Betty shoves him. “Why do you have to make everything weird?” she says with a laugh.

Sweet Pea raises his hands. “Just using your own words, Cooper.”

Suddenly feeling a little embarrassed, she busies herself with cleaning the grease from her hands and face. 

She could feel Sweet Pea’s eyes burning into the back of her head.

“What are you scared of?”

The million dollar question. Why is she worrying now? Everything is going swimmingly. She and Jughead are good, and yet her brain decided to panic. Sure, kissing was nice. Jughead’s hands exploring her body was even better, but what is the long con here? Where will they end up? Some days she feels so confident in all her choices and then other days she feels lost and silly. Pretending to be an adult, but actually still being a kid.

“Just that I made things weird. That I forced him into something he wasn’t ready for.”

Sweet Pea groans dramatically. “You two are so tiring.”

“Excuse me.”

“Look, all sex things are weird. Just two weeks ago, I was chained to a bed, with actual chains not handcuffs, while a guy and a girl were pouring maple on me and licking it off. Would people consider that weird? Yes. Was it hot? Also yes. Did we all have a great time? Oh my god, yes.”

“Okay Pea, maybe you are oversharing a bit. I think this goes against workplace policies.”

“Well, you are just a prude. I’m just trying to give some thoughtful advice here.”

“Which is?”

Sweet Pea smiles. “Just do whatever makes you two happy.”

“What are you two talking about now?” Toni has once again appeared next to Betty, out of nowhere. 

“I was just giving our dear Betty some solid advice.”

Toni raises an eyebrow. “On how to get threesomes?” 

“On healthy relationships,” he counters.

They banter back and forth while Betty cleans up the workspace, content to be out of the spotlight. She feels a little lighter for having told someone. And with that worry out of the way, her mind turns to the trip ahead. Almost instantly Betty feels her heartbeat quicken a little, and so she focuses on her friends and sorting every screw into the right box.

It’s exhausting to fight against your own brain all the time, but it was her only way to live. She always has to make an effort to distract herself whether that was through studying, pouring herself over a car, or movie nights with Jughead where they actually comment on every little thing instead of watching the actual movie. She tries to seek joy and pleasure in every way she can, because her dark thoughts were always lurking, ready to break her apart in a moment of weakness.

The first thing that Betty hears when she arrives at her apartment is the loud music coming from Jughead’s room, which means he is writing. The music is to not be distracted he always says, but Betty can’t imagine thinking through that noise. It is also a sign to not disturb him.

She quickly changes into her running gear and leaves again. A quick jog before the evening was her idea of relaxing. She focuses on the burning in her legs and the pain in her lungs, and keeps her mind clear through it all.

Jughead once said she runs to punish herself, but he thinks any exercise is a form of punishment. He doesn’t understand the freedom it gives her. She revels in feeling strong and taking care of herself. It’s a way to let go for only just a little.

When she gets back, Jughead still hasn’t left his room. He must be feeling creative, and she is happy for him. Betty knows that writing is Jughead’s preferred way of communicating. He feels accomplished and it’s something he is good at, but also something that he struggles with a lot. He doesn’t tell her because he thinks it’s embarrassing, but it’s his biggest dream to write a novel one day. 

She knocks at his door to tell him she is home and then disappears into the bathroom where she turns on the water in the bath before stripping off her sweaty clothes. While waiting for the bath to fill up, she examines herself in the mirror. Her eyes snag on the stretch lines around her boobs and stomach. She has gained more pounds than she wishes to count since her teenage years. In high school she was an athlete, always on the track or in the gym. She was thin with a flat stomach and toned legs. Her legs are still toned, but the thighs look bigger as does her butt, and her stomach isn’t flat anymore. Now, a layer of fat is covering it.

She quickly tears her eyes away from her reflection before she can analyse every inch of her skin and lets herself soak in the hot water. A sigh of relief escapes her lips. After a day spent underneath cars and a good workout, nothing is better than a bath. Her tense muscles relax a little, not completely, but it still feels good. She places her phone on the tiles next to her, starts her favourite podcast and closes her eyes. 

For a moment, she feels at peace.

She almost bumps against Jughead in the hallway nearly an hour later while she is leaving the bathroom, a towel wrapped around her body. He is munching on a cookie and is wearing headphones. But he takes her in, his eyes lingering on her body in a way they never have before. Then he disappears into his bedroom. Betty fights a smile and skips to her own room.

She kicks at her sheets in frustration. It’s 2AM and she can’t sleep. When she fell into her bed earlier tonight, she felt exhausted, hoping for a good night of sleep before their plane ride tomorrow, but sleep never came.

She knows what is happening, has been here many times before. The rapid beating of her heart, her racing thoughts, the turning of her stomach. These are all things Betty Cooper has experienced for most of her life. And she still hates every second of it. She tries to focus on the TV show that she put on in order to distract herself, but it doesn’t help. Eventually she just throws her covers off her body and climbs out of bed, in search of water.

What she doesn’t expect is to find Jughead sitting on their living room couch eating Nutella, the spoon still in his mouth.

“Are you eating Nutella straight from the jar at 2AM?”

Jughead slowly takes the spoon out of his mouth and says with a completely straight face. “No, you are dreaming right now.”

A beat of silence follows. Then Betty turns around and walks into the kitchen.

“Where are you going?”

“To get another spoon.”

Together they scarf down the entire jar before starting on a tub of Chunky monkey.

“I think we can agree on one thing,” Jughead says while licking his spoon clean. “We live a very healthy lifestyle.”

Betty chuckles and with her thumb wipes away some ice cream from Jughead’s cheek. “Why does it taste so much better straight from the tub?” she asks.

“It’s all about the rebellion. Our parents taught us to eat ice cream in small portions out of a bowl and the moment we are adults, we decide to do the exact opposite.” It’s silent for a moment, both savoring the ice cream and maybe thinking about their own less-than-traditional parents. “So it’s one of those nights?” he eventually asks.

“Yep.” 

“Wanna talk about it?”

“Nope.” Because talking would mean thinking, and thinking means a dark spiral into depression.

Jughead nods and sets the now empty tub on the table in front of them before slapping his hands onto his lap. “Come here,” he says.

Betty looks at him for a moment, understanding lining his eyes and a soft smile on his lips. 

God, this boy is beautiful.

She shifts over and lays her head on his lap, something she has done many times before. His hand finds itself into her hair and starts to untangle her bun. With every comforting stroke of his fingers, the rock that has been sitting in her stomach starts to dissolve, and exhaustion takes over. Betty closes her eyes, just focussing on Jughead, on his smell, his breathing, his hand. The comfort his presence gives her. And finally sleep finds her.

She wakes up in her bed to the sound of Jughead moving around in the kitchen and breaking a glass. Soft curses filter through her door and Betty smiles. The domesticity of it all does not escape her and she feels grateful for a friend who will carry her into bed. She doesn’t deserve him, but she is not a good enough person to let him go either.

She lies in her bed until the smell of french toast starts to fill her room. Only then does she drag herself out of bed, pops the antidepressant into her mouth, and starts preparing for the long day ahead.

The trip goes smoothly. The only annoyance was the kid behind her on the plane kicking her seat and Jughead complaining about why they had to live on the other side of the country. And even though Betty felt twice as heavy when she boarded the plane, something in her felt relieved when she saw FP and Jughead hug. They had never been close during Jughead’s teenage years, but as time went on and wounds had healed, the two became inseparable. Betty always felt a little guilty for stealing his son away.

But she doesn’t have time to wallow in that guilt because before she knows it, she also gets swept up in a hug. She presses a smile into FPs shoulder as he squeezes her. “It’s good to see you again, Betty,” he says.

They take FP’s old, clunky car to the Jones’ residence. For years that meant a small trailer, but in Jughead’s senior year of high school, his parents finally saved enough to buy a small house on the outskirts of Riverdale. It’s not Elm street, but it is certainly better than the alternative. Even now, when they reach the house, Betty is amazed that FP and Gladys were able to pull their act together, and a little angry that they didn’t do it sooner.

The front door opens and a wide-grinning Jellybean appears. “Jug!” She screams before launching herself at her older brother. Betty can’t help the smile that takes over her face when she watches the two siblings hug. JB looks tough, and she is, but she loves no one more than her brother and is not afraid to show it. The same goes for Jughead.

“Did you colour your hair again?” he says to her.

Jellybean huffs. “You still need to learn manners, it seems like. That is not the first thing you say to your family when you see them.”

Jughead smiles sheepishly and ruffles her hair. It’s ridiculous to think that Jellybean is seventeen years old now, almost an adult. Betty will always remember the toddler who she knitted a pink crown for because she wanted to be like her older brother.

“Hey, Bug,” she says now to the girl who is the same height as her. “Come here.” She wraps the girl into a firm hug.

They all shuffle into the house where Gladys is waiting. She kisses Jughead on the cheek and waves to Betty, still a little awkward. The years of tension can still be felt, but this is a family that is slowly healing and finding its way back to each other. Sure, she will always be annoyed that they couldn’t be there for Jughead when he was a teenager and needed them, but at least they are trying now. At least Jellybean gets to have a somewhat normal life.

The girl is talking to Betty about the new car magazines that have just arrived and she promises that she will take a look at FP’s car while they are here when she sees Jughead looking around, a frown on his face.

“Where’s Hotdog?” he asks.

Gladys points to the living room and worry shines in her eyes. “He’s just taking a nap.”

Normally Hotdog would have been the first to greet them, jumping against Jughead and licking their faces. Now, he is lying in his little bed, barely noticing they are there. Jughead crouches beside him and places a hand on his head. “Hey, boy,” he says. Only then does the dog lift his head and when he sees his owner, he starts wagging his tail in joy.

“Is something wrong with him?” Betty asks while Hotdog slowly gets up to lick Jughead’s face.

“He is getting old and deteriorating fast,” FP answers, sorrow clear in his voice.

At that, Jughead quickly looks up, his focus shifting to them. “What do you mean?”

The older man sighs and he looks tired. “You should spend a lot of time with him.”

Jughead’s eyes grow wide with disbelief and he looks at a loss for words, so Betty walks over and sits down next to him, her eyes on Hotdog. “Hey, buddy,” she whispers softly. “I have missed you so much. Do you wanna go for a walk?” He barks as a response and gets up, already walking towards the door.

Riverdale is one of those towns that never changes, at least aesthetically. There isn’t constant construction going on to make everything more modern and efficient. Riverdale basks in its old glory. Ironically, it’s a glory that has never actually existed.

“I’m sorry, Jug,” she says after a few minutes, Hotdog leisurely walking in front of them.

“It’s okay,” he says quickly and then seems to correct himself. “I mean, it’s not really. It sucks. Dogs should never grow old, especially not dogs who are as lazy and ridiculous as this one.” When she looks up at him she sees a soft smile on his face as he watches his dog, his oldest friend. A face of pure affection. “This might surprise you,” he says, “but I actually missed this place.”

It doesn’t surprise her. “You love Riverdale.”

He does, even if he won’t admit it so quickly. Betty is envious of Jughead for that. He has a loyalty to people and places, even when they have hurt him, which makes it possible to see beauty through the darkness. Once upon a time, Betty may have shared that trait, but not anymore. She has been hardened through the years and while it is not something that she is proud of, it has kept her sane all this time.

Betty takes his arm and cuddles a little into his side, enjoying his warmth against the cold town air. They pass Elm Street, Jughead doesn’t say a word as Betty fastens their pace. Her mom can’t smell that she is in town. Right?

Eventually, they settle onto a bench in the park and let Hotdog roam free, chasing after squirrels that are way too quick for him.

Jughead’s arm is across the back of the bench and she can feel his fingertips playing with her hair. “We should get a dog someday,” he says suddenly even though his eyes are looking at something far away.

Betty gently nudges him with her shoulder. “Oh yeah, what kind of breed do you want? Another Hotdog?”

He finally looks at her. “It doesn’t matter. I want one from the shelter. One that other people just threw away.” Suddenly a bit embarrassed, he lowers his eyes. “Just rambling.”

“I think it’s a lovely idea, Juggie.”

She is about to lean her head onto his shoulder, but something catches her attention from the corner of her eye. She turns around and promptly bursts into laughter.

Jughead startles and looks at her like she has grown another head.

“Nothing in this town ever changes,” she manages to say between giggles and points at the back of the bench where a bunch of things are scribbled onto the wood. Most notably Reggie smells in a young Jughead’s handwriting, as well as a heart that says B&V Forever. 

“I can’t believe this is still here,” Jughead says.

“Our adolescent vandalism.”

His fingers trace over the little crown drawn in the corner. “People would believe we had a normal childhood.”

“Absolutely normal. And we turned out just fine.”

Jughead catches her eye and for a moment just looks at her, something he rarely does. Then with utmost sincerity he answers, “We did.”

Dinner is already on the table when they get back from their walk. An entire feast for normal people, just a regular meal for the Jones family. Betty will never admit this out loud, but while eating dinner she feels a pang of jealousy. Jughead has two loving parents, an amazing sister, and a loyal hound. At this moment, they are the picture of the perfect family. Something that the Coopers always wanted to be... and look at them now.

But she takes another bite and cleanses herself of those ugly emotions. She joins the conversation, answers questions about school and laughs at FP’s jokes. If her laughter sounds hollow, no one points it out.

In the evening, Jellybean drags Betty to the garage to look at FP’s car while Jughead stays in the living room next to Hotdog. The girl talks about all the things she has learned in shop class and Betty can’t help but smile. Her enthusiasm is contagious. They work on the car together until their nails are ruined with grease.

And everything is okay. Betty is okay.

Until night comes.

She is lying there, in a strange bed, in a strange house. In an all too familiar town. It seems foolish, but she is scared to fall asleep. Afraid of what horrors her subconscious can produce. So she goes to find Jughead instead.

She knocks on his door as a courtesy and then just let’s herself into his room. It isn’t a cozy room full of teenage Jughead’s possessions, it had only been his room for a few months before he moved away to Berkeley. There are two bookcases filled with books and notebooks. An old playstation, with games stacked on top, and some old movie posters.

And the boy himself is lying on his bed, reading a book. He doesn’t seem surprised that she seeked him out. Betty hugs her pillow to her chest. 

“Can I join?” she asks.

He lifts up the covers of his bed as his answer and she immediately crawls in. 

“Isn’t this against the rules?” he whispers.

“The rules only apply when we are home.” A sick feeling takes over the moment she says it. This is Jughead’s home, this house, this town. 

But a smile plays on Jughead’s lips. “Right. Home.”

She nods toward the forgotten book in his hand. “Will you read to me?”

“Sure.” 

She lies her head onto the pillow next to his and stares up at him as he finds the page that he was on. Betty doesn’t even really listen to the words, just let’s his voice wash over her. The way it comforts her and slowly her body relaxes, a warm feeling nettles into her chest. She feels fine. She feels at home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: more Riverdale, some breaking and entering, and nail painting. These two have many different interests.
> 
> Please let me know what you think in the comments. They make my week.
> 
> A small reminder to keep the comment section free from Betty hate. I also have many thoughts and emotions about canon right now, but let's keep this a positive space. Thanks!


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